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This very day, a informal Alliance of the Determined, predominantly composed of European officials, convened in Paris with representatives of the Trump administration, hoping to achieve additional headway on a sustainable settlement for Ukraine.

With President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring that a roadmap to end the conflict with Russia is "nearly finalized", not a single person in that gathering wished to endanger maintaining the Washington onboard.

Yet, there was an immense glaring omission in that grand and sparkling Paris meeting, and the underlying mood was extremely uneasy.

Consider the developments of the past week: the Trump administration's divisive incursion in the South American nation and the American leader's insistence shortly thereafter, that "our national security requires Greenland from the standpoint of strategic interests".

The vast Arctic territory is the world's greatest island – it's sixfold the size of Germany. It is located in the far north but is an self-governing possession of Denmark's.

At the conference, Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, was seated opposite two influential figures acting for Trump: emissary Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

She was subject to urging from European colleagues to avoid alienating the US over Greenland, lest that affects US support for the Ukrainian cause.

EU heads of state would have greatly desired to compartmentalize the Arctic dispute and the negotiations on Ukraine apart. But with the political temperature escalating from Washington and Copenhagen, representatives of leading states at the talks put out a communiqué stating: "The island is part of NATO. Defense in the North must therefore be attained together, in cooperation with NATO allies such as the America".

"Sovereignty is for Copenhagen and Greenland, and them only, to rule on affairs regarding Denmark and its autonomous territory," the declaration added.

The communique was received positively by Nuuk's head of government, Jens Frederik Nielsen, but critics say it was delayed to be put together and, due to the small number of endorsers to the declaration, it did not manage to project a Europe in agreement in purpose.

"If there had been a joint position from all 27 EU partners, along with NATO ally the UK, in backing of Danish authority, that would have conveyed a powerful message to Washington," commented a EU foreign policy specialist.

Reflect on the contradiction at hand at the Paris summit. Numerous EU national and other officials, such as NATO and the European Union, are attempting to secure the cooperation of the US administration in guaranteeing the future autonomy of a continental state (the Eastern European nation) against the expansionist land claims of an external actor (Russia), immediately after the US has swooped into independent Venezuela by armed intervention, taking its president into custody, while also persistently openly undermining the territorial integrity of another EU member (Denmark).

To make matters even more stark – Copenhagen and the US are both signatories of the transatlantic alliance NATO. They are, in the view of Copenhagen, extremely strong partners. At least, they were.

The dilemma is, were Trump to fulfill his desire to bring Greenland under US control, would it represent not just an existential threat to NATO but also a major crisis for the EU?

Europe Faces the Danger of Being Trampled Underfoot

This is not an isolated incident President Trump has expressed his resolve to acquire the Arctic island. He's proposed purchasing it in the past. He's also refused to rule out forcible annexation.

Recently that the territory is "vitally important right now, Greenland is patrolled by Russian and Chinese vessels all over the place. Our security demands Greenland from the vantage point of national security and Copenhagen is unable to provide security".

Denmark strongly denies that assertion. It recently committed to invest $4bn in Arctic security encompassing boats, drones and aircraft.

Pursuant to a treaty, the US maintains a strategic outpost currently on Greenland – founded at the onset of the Cold War. It has cut the figure of personnel there from approximately 10,000 during the height of that era to around 200 and the US has often been faulted of taking its eye off the northern theater, until now.

Copenhagen has signaled it is open to discussion about a larger US presence on the island and additional measures but in light of the US President's assertion of unilateral action, the Danish PM said on Monday that Washington's desire to acquire Greenland should be treated with gravity.

In the wake of the American intervention in Venezuela this weekend, her colleges throughout Europe are doing just that.

"These developments has just emphasized – yet again – Europe's fundamental vulnerability {